Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio of Hong Kong Chinese children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Central body fat is a better predictor than overall body fat for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in both adults and children. Waist circumference (WC) has been used as a proxy measure of central body fat. Children at high CV risk may be identified by WC measurements. Waist-to-height ratio (WHTR) has been proposed as an alternative, conveniently age-independent measure of CV risk although WHTR percentiles have not been reported. We aim to provide age- and sex-specific reference values for WC and WHTR in Hong Kong Chinese children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross sectional study in a large representative sample of 14,842 children aged 6 to 18 years in 2005/6. Sex-specific descriptive statistics for whole-year age groups and smoothed percentile curves of WC and WHTR were derived and presented.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>WC increased with age, although less after age 14 years in girls. WHTR decreased with age (particularly up to age 14). WHTR correlated less closely than WC with BMI (r = 0.65, 0.59 cf. 0.93, 0.91, for boys and girls respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Reference values and percentile curves for WC and WHRT of Chinese children and adolescents are provided. Both WC and WHTR are age dependent. Since the use of WHRT does not obviate the need for age-related reference standards, simple WC measurement is a more convenient method for central fat estimation than WHRT.</p

CCR6 is required for ligand-induced CatSper activation in human sperm

2017-2018 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journal201805 bcrcVersion of RecordPublishe

Embryoid body formation: Recent advances in automated bioreactor technology

While spontaneous differentiation is an undesired feature of expanding populations of embryonic stem cells, a variety of methods have been described for their intended differentiation into specialized cell types, such as the osteoblast or chondrocyte. Most commonly, differentiation initiation involves the aggregation of ESCs into a so-called embryoid body (EB), a sphere composed of approximately 15,000 differentiating cells. EB formation has been optimized through the years, for example through invention of the hanging drop protocol. Yet, it remains a highly laborious process. Here we describe the use of computer-controllable suspension bioreactors to form EBs in an automated and highly reproducible process and their subsequent differentiation along the osteoblast lineage. The development of the differentiating cells taken from bioreactor EBs to EBs formed in static control cultures through the hanging drop method will be compared